Gods word is filled with examples of those who attempted to escape the consequences of there sin. Jesus wanted us to realize that in order for us to avoid eternal damnation we must repent of our sin and seek forgiveness. In Luke 13:1-5 Jesus emphasized the general fact that we all must repent of our sin or perish. The un-repent sinner in Revelation 20:14 dies a spiritual death, which is an eternal suffering and damnation. Thankfully, God does not delight in punishing sinners.

In Luke 13 we see that while Jesus was teaching, some people come in and told Jesus of the Galileans who had been brutally massacred. Those reporting this to Jesus probably wanted to get His opinion about such a sacrilegious act and perhaps the political implications of such acts. One of the things we like to do as human beings is to Judge others. Judging others will usually come from a misconception regarding one’s own worth and downgrading the worth of others. Here Jesus raised a theological question: “Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all Galileans’, because they suffered such things?” The Jewish people then and many Christians today believe that all suffering was a result of God’s judgment on sin.

Jesus denies this reasoning: “I tell you, Nay” He did not deny the connection between a sinful world and the tragedies that befall human beings, nor did he rule out that the possibility of specific cases of tragedy was a punishment for sin. We see from the scripture that God allows temporal disasters to happen for various reasons. One reason would be to lead people to repentance. Although God may punish some sin with suffering, it is often a testing or learning process to bring us closer to God, or get us back on the straight and narrow path. Jesus maintained that since all people are sinners, none deserve to escape God’s Judgment, unless they repent. There is a fate worse than a tragic, untimely death. It is an eternal spiritual damnation, or separation from God in a place of torment. It is a judgment that awaits everyone unless you repent. When you repent, it is not to be a temporary thing, or a simple regret for sin. You must see your sin as evil, ugly, and utterly disgusting to God, and choose to repent from your sin to not do it anymore. After repentance you accept Jesus’ invitation to turn from your sin to God’s Grace. Again, in Luke 13:4-5 we see a second incident known to the audience. This time we see that it killed eighteen people. It raised the same question. Were those that were killed in the tower, guiltier than those that were not? Jesus again answered no! Jesus then repeated his warning that apart from repentance, all would perish.

The lesson that Jesus taught in Luke, has a lesson for us today. One of these lessons is the temptation to become self-righteous when tragedies fall upon others. When natural catastrophic events happen we interpret them as being part of God’s judgment. How often do we see individuals suffer tragedy, and we think “I am not surprised that it happened to them; I seen it coming with the way they have been ….”? We tend to think that our health, or wealth prove that we are better than the others. We must be aware of the self-righteousness attitude. Only by the grace of God are we preserved physically and spiritually. In 1 Corinthians 10:12 Paul gives us some advice, “Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

Jesus followed his warnings at the start of Luke with a parable. It illustrated the need to repent, and to do so quickly. The opportunity provided to us by Gods grace would soon pass. The parable is of a man who had a fig tree planted in his vineyard. The owner told the vinedresser to cut it down since it had not figs, nor did it produce any figs the previous two years. The problem is that the tree took up space and nutrients from the soil that a productive tree could occupy and feed off of. Through this parable Jesus taught that God had every right to expect the fruits of repentance from each of us. The vinedresser was reluctant to cut the tree down immediately. He thought that there might be a slight possibility that it might produce fruit. He requested another year in which time he would dig and dung it. Loosening the soil and fertilizing it with manure would provide it with nutrients that may have been lacking. It was given every advantage to bear fruit. The fig tree not putting forth any fruit to this point, had shown that these extraordinary measures were totally undeserved. It also was a temporary condition in which after a year they would end if there was no improvement.

In this parable we see that Jesus in his longsuffering, patience and grace, continued to provide us with opportunities to come to him. The time was short, and his mercy would come to an end. God is patient and gracious, withholding judgment from those who deserve it. Every one of us, like the fig tree, was created to honor and glorify God while producing his fruit. Time after time He comes looking for fruit but finds none. In Gods endless love toward us, he sent His only Son to be the Savior of sinful mankind. If the sinner refuses to accept the forgiveness purchased by Jesus’ blood on cavalry, he has no choice but to punish.

How seriously do you take his warnings?